Completion

Summary: It took them—mostly him—long enough to realize that all they really belong with is each other, but eventually, they finally figure it out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.

A/N: This spiraled completely out of control. I intended for about two thousand words or less of reasonable, quality writing to start everything off and build up my reputation as a good—or at least decent—author. But then this gibberish happened and when I glanced at the total word count when I was done, I freaked. And I seriously tried to resist writing this in the first place but, well, how could I? It's Auslly.

Green.

Sometimes red, but mostly green.

A colour that Ally has come to hate so much over the past few days, actually, weeks. Yes, past few weeks. She would see it constantly, both day and night. It clouded her vision and blurred her eyesight, rendering her silent and unable to even blink.

It always seemed to happen when he was around, not on his own, but with her. When they would hold hands, hug, kiss, smile, stare lovingly into each others eyes, make-out, boop each others noses (which she found really unfair because that was what Austin & Ally used to do, it was their thing), kiss some more—and that's when it would happen. An enormous blanket of pure green would cover her vision, and she wouldn't be able to register any events for at least the next 10 minutes.

She didn't really acknowledge it until her best friend Trish started to notice.

"Erm, Ally?" she had questioned one summer afternoon after closing up shop, "What's up with you these days? With Austin, I mean. You're constantly staring at him and Cassidy as if they just killed your puppy or something. What's going on?"

When she didn't get an answer, it seemed that it finally clicked inside Trish's head. "Wait a minute—are you jealous?" a smirk appeared on Trish's face then, causing the brunette opposite to glare the most vicious glare she had ever seen.

"No, I am not jealous. I just... I can't believe Austin's dating her when she's rejected him twice before, and I don't think that it's particularly fair that once she comes back after an entire year in LA that he should just continue chasing her again, not to mention the fact that I'd caught her winking at some guy whilst she and Austin were still going on, and why should she get all of his love and attention if she probably doesn't even give any back? I don't get it. What does she have that I don't—erm, I mean, what does she have that other girls don't have?" she paused, trying to control the sudden shroud of emerald beginning to blind her once again, "Cassidy's awesome. She really is. But aside from the blond hair and blue eyes, I really can't figure out what Austin finds so perfect about her."

Trish shook her head and smiled, "You're totally jealous," she grinned, earning another glare from her friend, "But I don't judge you. You're absolutely right, she's not perfect, nobody is. And if Austin thinks that she is, then—"

She didn't get to finish, because suddenly, the look in her best friend's eyes darkened. She was staring at something behind her, really closely, she should add.

"Er, Ally, are you alright—"

"Hey, Ally, hey, Trish. Did we interrupt something...?" Speak of the devil, it was her. Cassidy. Her right hand was tightly intertwined with Austin's left one, and the smiles on their faces were so large, it was literally impossible.

"Oh, no, no, it's fine. Trish and I can just finish off our private conversation some other time, right, Trish?" she tried not to sound rude or sarcastic, but it didn't work.

She saw Austin wince, and Cassidy bit her lip.

Trish gave them both a hard look, "Yea, it's fine. You didn't interrupt a thing." she turned to face the frowning brunette, "See you later, Alls." And then she was gone.

What had happened next, Ally didn't want to remember. But the memories of the two blondes in front of her giggling and laughing and smiling together for the next two hours were fixated deep inside her mind, within all of the archives of horrible, unwanted reminiscences.

Unfortunately, the unpleasant evocation of that particular day suddenly burned in her mind, and she found herself replaying every single detail of the afternoon's happenings whilst still watching the wonderfully happy couple have the time of their lives in the same room that she was in. And suddenly the amount of resentment she felt for both Cassidy and Austin raised, until she finally couldn't take it any more.

Her two legs grew a mind of their own, and carried her all the way to where the two were sitting together (no doubt had they been making out earlier because she's pretty sure Austin didn't wear lipstick), "Erm, guys, I need to lock up, so..." she hoped they'd get the hint to effing leave before she'd be doomed to see green for life, but he's Austin, and Austin isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to these things.

"But... It's Monday and the store doesn't close till seven..." his brow raised in confusion, but she could see the look of slight hurt in his eyes. She felt guilty for a second, but all feelings of regret disappeared when she finally remembered the presence of the only other female in the room aside from herself.

"It's fine, Aus. We should leave, give Ally some space and go home." Cassidy had always been nice, one of the reasons why Ally hated her so much.

Austin looked from Cassidy to Ally, and the emotion that was clouding Austin's eyes, nobody could figure out, let alone her, "Er, erm, OK, I guess. Bye, Alls. See you... tomorrow."

But she didn't see him tomorrow, or the day after, or the next week; in fact, she didn't see him until the day before Cassidy's 18th birthday, which was exactly a month after their last encounter.

And the only real reason he had come to see her at Sonic Boom that night was to ask her for advice, "Er, hey, Ally. I, erm, I need to ask you something..." she had lifted her head up to look at him, expecting him to reveal his undying love for her right then and there—but what she got was a whole lot less than she bargained for... "What should I get for Cassidy's birthday?"

Her insides shook and she willed herself not to cry. "Ca-Cassidy? Your girlfriend, Cassidy?" her voice shook ever so slightly and she didn't know what on earth she was saying.

"Well, there's only one Cassidy we know, isn't there?" he joked, but she didn't even crack a smile.

"Oh, I don't know. Perfume? Makeup? Clothes? Shoes? Oh, no, she doesn't need that stuff. She's already perfect. How about a book? Or a guitar? Piano? Anything. Anything but beauty products. Don't make her any more perfect than she already is." her voice was barely a whisper, she couldn't even hear herself but she was certain that he could.

He took no notice of her strange behaviour, "Hm, nah. She's already got instruments and plenty of books... Any other ideas?"

She could hardly believe what he was saying. She blinked. Once, twice, three times. "I love you."

He blinked back. "Huh?" shock overtook him, and he looked at her in surprise.

"You don't need a present. Just tell her that you love her," she didn't know how she did it without stumbling upon her words or blushing or even bursting into tears, but she did it.

She could have sworn that he looked somewhat disappointed, but before she could confirm it, he smiled, "Thanks, Ally. That's not bad. You're awesome." And then he was gone just as fast as he came, leaving her to her miserable thoughts and wishes and hopes, that maybe, just maybe, one day, he'd wake up, and realize that the 'I love you' slip-up wasn't a gift idea for Cassidy.

The next day passed in a complete blur, so fast that she couldn't even believe.

She wondered if Austin had actually told Cassidy that he loved her, she wondered if he'd bought her something instead, but most of all, she wondered if he really did have true feelings for Cassidy, and if he really did want to spend the rest of his life with her.

She'll admit it then, she's jealous.

Jealous, jealous, jealous.

Jealous of her, jealous of them, jealous of the fact that they're so happy together and that he's never looked that content when he was writing music with her or playing piano or performing onstage when she's the only one in the audience or when they're goofing off work and going to the movies, jealous that she gets to look into his shiny hazel eyes all day long, jealous that she gets to have him all to herself 24/7, jealous that he doesn't seem to give two shits about his best friends any more because he's off with that stupid girlfriend of his, but, most of all, she's jealous of the fact that only Cassidy gets to kiss his perfect pink lips and caress his beautiful blond hair and hold his soft creamy hand and touch his gorgeous body.

She's jealous.

And just the thought of Austin and Cassidy being together was enough to make her see green.

Green.

Oh, how she hates that colour.

She sees it when she closes her eyes, before she goes to bed at night, when she first wakes up, when she's eating, when she watches 'them' eating, when he's singing to her, when they're kissing, when they're hugging, when they're standing side-by-side, when they're just being—she doesn't know what to think any more because the feeling of jealousy was getting to be too much for her.

She didn't want to be jealous. She didn't want to.

But she was, and that's just how life was, unfortunately.

She was so deep within her thoughts, that she almost missed the distinct tap tap tap in the distance.

She looked to the door of the store, almost fainting when she saw who it was. She marched over to the large double-glazing doors and swung them open.

"What the hell do you want, Austin?"

She didn't know why she was suddenly angry, but she just was.

He looked taken aback, but spoke nevertheless, "I just wanted to tell you that... that, erm..." he looked hesitant, and she raised a brow at him, urging him on, "Your plan to tell Cassidy that I love her for her birthday instead of getting a present totally worked. She, well, er, she said that she loves me too and that no present could ever top that one..."

She was no mind-reader, but she could tell he was lying. "Sure she did." she snapped, narrowing her eyes. "Tell me the truth, Austin. Now."

He sighed in defeat, and she watched a single tear run down his right cheek. She gulped as he hastily wiped it away, "OK, OK... when I told her that I loved her, she... she just smiled and said I love you a lot, too, so, where's my present? I thought she was kidding, but turns out, she wasn't. And when I told her that the I love you was the present, she—"

She couldn't take it any more, she pulled him inside, and shut the door. "What did she do, Austin?"

He gulped, "She just looked a little bit disappointed but she didn't say anything... I mean, I shouldn't be sad, she didn't break up with me or say anything bad but... I can't help but feel... deflated..."

She knew how he felt, because lately she'd been feeling that way everyday.

"Don't be upset. Nothing happened. And besides, it isn't your fault. It's mine, I shouldn't have suggested that as a gift idea. You should have just... got her some makeup..." her voice cracked at the last syllable, but she ignored it, and she was certain he did, too. "Cassidy is a good person. She's... perfect... for you, I mean."

He looked into her eyes, and she could have sworn that he was about to say no, but... "...sometimes I wonder if that really is true..."

And then he was gone again.

It was such an unreal moment, so surreal, that she still wonders whether it was a dream or a reality.

She never bought it up, in case it really was a dream, and he never spoke of it, either, only focusing on his beloved girlfriend, Cassidy.

Cassidy.

Not Ally, Cassidy.

And then green appeared again (surprise, surprise). And this time green was so vivid, so clear, that it wasn't even green any more.

It was red.

Jealousy became much more. And it wasn't just the hand-holding and the kissing and the hugging that got to her, it was the fiery emotion in his eyes, she could tell he really did love her, and that she shouldn't ever get her hopes up because, there really wasn't any hope left.

Someway, somehow, she had actually managed to ignore all feelings of hurt and loss and immense jealousy, she decided to have fun; be happy. And show Mr. Austin Moon exactly what he's missing.

Cassidy's birthday party had been the talk of the school, the only topic that was uttered for an entire 3 freaking months, no one spoke of anything else other than Ohmygosh Cassidy's party was amazing! and I can't wait till her next big extravaganza! and in extremely freaky cases Cassidy is so effin' hot, man, that Austin dude is so damn lucky.

And Cassidy's sudden popularity really angered Ally because, in case anyone hadn't noticed yet, Cassidy didn't go to Marino High.

So her being popular with both the female and male population of the school really confused Ally, and got her thinking at the same time.

Until one night, whilst she was lying in her bed, thinking about how miserably boring her life is, a bright light bulb suddenly lit up her brain, and she almost cried at how unbelievably smart she could be at times like this.

Her idea was fool-proof, and nobody, nobody, would be able to guess what she was up to... much.

She was going to throw a party.

So she ignored the fact that her heart was breaking more and more every single day, because, in all brutal honesty, she was done being jealous, and she was done caring.

So she did it, she threw a huge party that everyone was invited to, even Tilly Thompson, and Cassidy, too. She debated whether or not she should invite Austin, but in the end, she did.

She earned a lot of help from Trish of course, and they held it at Sonic Boom. There were drinks there, too, alcohol, vodka, whisky, etcetera, etcetera.

Everyone turned up, which, she had to be honest, surprised her a little bit. The entire Marino High Student Body was there, and all of them were drunk of their asses and making out with random chicks from others schools (she was guessing that Cassidy bought them, because she honestly had no idea who the heck they were). She was so... pleased? Maybe that's not the correct way to put it. There was no way to put it.

That night was one she could never forget. It was brutal. Absolutely insane.

It was fun. Fairly.

But mostly shocking.

After an hour (or two, she doesn't really remember that well), Ally began to feel bored. She was looking at everyone else having the time of their lives, she saw Tilly mingling with some hot seniors, she saw Trish dancing and having what looked to be amazing fun, she saw Austin and Dez laughing and having a good ol' talk, she saw all of her wonderful classmates drinking and getting higher and higher with each second that passed. But you know what she didn't see? She didn't see Cassidy.

She sighed for a second. Her eyes shifted to the right, then to the left. She pursed her lips. Her two brown orbs darted to the drinks on the counter, and her mouth turned dry. She'd always been a good girl. Always. Never once had she even thought about drinking liquor, or doing anything that's related to that. Throwing this party was a crime in her books, and she was very disappointed with herself. And she could hear her brain yelling at her to stop stop stop when her feet hit the ground and she was standing up and walking away from the stool she was sat on, she ignored it's pleas to stop walking and listen and just continued on walking, and not listening at all. She was practically two feet away from the vodka bottles, so close, that she could just reach out and touch...

Her eyes drooped suddenly, and she was unable to breathe. Her heart began to race. It seemed as if everything was in slow motion. Until it happened.

She picked up a bottle of vodka, and opened it. She didn't know where the sudden burst of strength came from. She grabbed a glass and poured herself a beverage. Her hand was shaking slightly as she lifted the glass to her lips, and for a minute, she had second thoughts.

But then she had her first sip, and she was wincing at the strong taste, but smiling at her breakthrough. She drank some more. And more and more. Until her glass was empty and she was pouring in some more. It seemed as if 2 seconds had passed before she was already on her 5th cup. She felt light-headed. As if she was going to fall over. But she still kept going back for more.

And more. And more and more.

And more.

Until she couldn't even think straight.

She was addicted. She had no idea how she had lived with it until now. She began to stumble around everywhere, looking for more drinks. They couldn't be finished, there had to be more. There just had to be.

"Hey, Ally, awesome party!"

"This party's great, Ally!"

"Good job, Ally!"

She ignored all of the compliments as she walked (well, barely walked) around Sonic Boom, searching her surroundings for bottles. She found none.

She suddenly hit a barrier. She fell back and landed butt-first on the ground. She giggled loudly, and she felt someone grab her hand and pull her up.

"Austin?" she said, praising herself for not beginning to slur yet. He looked down at her, seeming shocked and unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Ally? Wait, are you... Are you drunk?"

She laughed, and gave a nod, "I think soooooo. Is it obvious?" she licked her lips and smiled at him.

He shook his head at her. "Ally, we need to get you home—"

"No!"

He jumped at her sudden mood swing, "But you're drunk, you can't go on like this—"

She shook her head at him, glaring. She spoke audibly, "I don't wanna go home..."

He stood there confused, unable to even stop her as she walked away from him. She blended in with the crowd, and danced her way through.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of blond. No, not Austin. It was his girlfriend. The innocent Cassidy with two strong tanned arms wrapped around her body and a pair of lips attached to her neck, but neither were Austin's. Ally gasped. Despite her being drunk, and the fact that it was her first time even touching vodka, she was not stupid. She knew a liar when she saw one, and the biggest liar she had ever seen was right there in front of her, obviously oblivious to her surroundings.

Ally looked around, seeking Austin—but he had disappeared somewhere. Her head turned to Cassidy once again, and she felt hatred and anger build up inside of her.

Realization suddenly struck—Cassidy was cheating on Austin.

Ally was livid. Furious that Cassidy would do something like that. Something so... vile, and deal-breaking.

She wasn't in the right state of mind. She was effing drunk, for goodness sake. No one would believe her for a second if she told them what she saw. So she stayed quiet.

People started leaving at 3:17 AM. And Sonic Boom was left absolutely filthy.

But that wasn't Ally's biggest problem right then.

She had sobered up a little bit after everyone was gone. And now she was debating whether or not what she saw Cassidy doing was real or not. Maybe she had hallucinated, could have been the effect she got from the liquor. But at the same time it couldn't have been.

Suddenly, she had been pulled out of her thoughts.

"Ally? Are you... Erm... Are you OK?"

"Yea. Yea, Austin, I'm fine. Why?" she wasn't all that tipsy any more, he noticed. After all, it had been about 2 hours... and a half.

"Well, uh, I was worried... you know... about you..."

Ally smiled, "Thanks, but I'm fine. And I didn't want to go home because... well, hm, I guess it's because it was my party and... well, it would be kinda weird if I was the first one to leave," she breathed out a laugh, and he laughed, too.

"Yea... So, erm, have you seen Cass anywhere? I promised I'd drop her home after."

She froze.

"Erm, no. I-I haven't seen her anywhere. Maybe... Maybe she forgot and is on her way home as we speak?" her cheeks were red. She hated lying.

He shook his head, "No way. She's the one who thought I would forget. So why would she?"

"Maybe... she got a little drunk, like I did... and then," she paused, biting her lip, "walked home, maybe?" she felt like an idiot. An absolute idiot.

He didn't look like he believed her, but he dropped the subject anyway. "Alright then. I'll just call her."

And he did call her. But she didn't answer. And Ally's heart tore in two when she saw the look on his face.

And she made sure that she would talk to Cassidy the next day.

Because whoever hurt Austin, hurt her.

"Hey, Ally. You wanted me to meet you here?"

Ally spun around, and smiled when she saw who it was, "Hi, Cassidy. Erm, yea, I wanted to speak to you about something important."

Cassidy nodded, "Okay. What's up?"

Ally sighed, unknowing of how to start, "Well, uh, yesterday... at my party... I, was, erm, quite drunk." She felt like a moron, but she continued anyway, "And, well, I saw you, and... some other guy together, and you guys were kinda, er, making out a little... ya. And that some other guy was not Austin." She sighed, "He wasn't even blond!" she added as an afterthought, not even wanting to sound funny.

She watched Cassidy's eyes widen in size, and that's when she knew for sure that she wasn't just imagining it.

"Er, well, yes, but... it was, it was a mistake. I—I didn't know what I was doing. I'd had a little something, something to drink, too, so I wasn't my usual self." Cassidy looked at her with pleading eyes, "Please don't tell Austin. Please, Ally. I promise you, I didn't mean it!"

Ally truly didn't know what to say. "Erm..."

"Please. I'll do anything."

Ally sighed. "Okay." She was surprised at herself, "I won't tell. But... only because I know Austin would practically break in half if he found out."

And then the next second she found herself being embraced by Cassidy, and she heard a small 'thank you' being muttered into her ear.

But deep within her, she felt like she was doing the wrong thing.

She knew she was doing the wrong thing.

Ally's party was the talk of the school. Everyone thought that she had finally stepped out of her shell, and out of her comfort zone.

Wrong.

She was still gravely upset.

Because what if Austin finds out?

Even worse—

What if Austin finds out that she knew and didn't tell him?

Well, their friendship might be ruined.

And that's something that she just simply cannot live with at all.

The next few weeks passes by in a blur.

She didn't see Cassidy at all. Or Austin, for that matter. For what reason, she didn't know.

She did see Trish. And every time she spotted Dez he was either in a daze or running around like a lost puppy looking for Austin.

She did miss Austin dearly, but she thought nothing of it, the fact that she hadn't seen him in absolutely ages.

But now that she looks back, she really, really, really should have done something about it.

The day it happens, she simply cannot even breathe.

She had walked into the Practice Room one morning, ready for her writing session with Austin (the first one in weeks, and she is slightly nervous) when she found that he wasn't there yet.

She wasn't surprised, he was always late (although disappointment also managed to sneak into her mood, because you'd think that after not seeing her for ages and ages and ages he'd make at least a tiny effort to get there in time). But all that changed when she saw a neatly folded letter sat on their bench.

And when she read it over, she could've sworn that her entire life came to a halt.

And when Trish and Dez read Austin's neat, (but also kinda messy) handwriting, they were just as shocked, and just as disappointed.

Austin was gone. He had slipped away from her fingertips since day one, and he fell right into the palm of Cassidy's freshly manicured hand, and he was now constantly answering to her beck and call, instead of the other way round.

He was drifting away more and more every day, until one day, he stopped coming, he stopped going, and he stopped being, he left. He left Miami and with only a note to explain his sudden disappearance.

Dear Ally and Dez and Trish,

I'm sorry for everything you're about to hear (well, read).

Me and Cassidy have both moved to New York. Recently her parents both had a very messy and harsh breakup and decided to have a divorce and now she's gonna be living in NYC with her Mum, and when I found out I was heartbroken. I didn't want her to leave so I decided to tag along... You guys are probably going to hate me for this, and you have every right to. But I just can't let her go. I'm sorry.

I'll miss you Ally... And you, Trish, and definintely you, Dez...

I hope you can find it in your big hearts to forgive me for all that's happened.

I love you. All of you.

Lots of Love, Austin.

Austin was gone, and with that, so were the fallen pieces of her broken heart.

For four years, she'd kept the note.

Not that she needed to, because she'd memorized every word, down to every last syllable.

After everything that had happened, Austin hadn't even tried to contact Ally, nor Trish or Dez. He hadn't called, texted, or wrote. She'd lost all touch and all contact.

She had cried herself to sleep every night for the first year and a half, unable to believe that he was actually gone.

It took her a long while to accept reality, but eventually, she did.

But that didn't mean it still didn't hurt. Because it did. And a lot, too.

Sometime during the transition between Autumn and Winter, Dez had caved and moved to New York to find his friend. Ally supported him and said that he should go, and he did, ignoring Trish's yelling that he should have pity on them because they're hurting too and he shouldn't be so selfish.

So Dez left.

She didn't have any contact with him, either, or anyone in New York. Only Trish was left, and Ally hoped she didn't lose her, too.

For the full four years, Ally didn't even crack a smile.

Unless it was fake, or if something worthy of laughter happened, but aside from that, she didn't smile at all.

Because Austin was gone, and without him, happy just wasn't a word she could use or feel any more.

What hurts the most

Was being so close

And having so much to say

And watching you walk away

And never knowing

What could have been

And not seeing that loving you

Is what I was tryin' to do

For the entire four years, music was always her escape. Because for a while, she could just ignore the world, and it's horrible ways.

She recovers a bit after a while. Only a bit, though. Austin Moon is still a deep wound in her heart and she doesn't think it'll ever mend.

But she's doing fine. She manages not thinking about him for at least a while. And when she does think about him, it's only because something triggers a good memory of some sorts and she's alright with it because it's a very rare case (every time she closes her eyes, an image of him laughing appears, but she doesn't speak of that).

Everything is swell.

She's not really broken anymore. She's half-fixed.

Still bent. Still rough around the edges. But fixed.

She can breathe again.

She's sat down soundly on her bright blue couch, watching American Idol and eating a huge tub of Ben & Jerry's, and listening to the rain pelting down in sheets outside, when suddenly there's a loud and desperate knock on her door.

To say she had gotten a little scared would be an understatement. People hardly ever visited her. She gulps, and scoops up the last of the ice cream onto the spoon and stuffs it down her throat, ignoring the major brain freeze she was having and the fact that she was no doubt going to get a flu the next day.

She slowly stands up, but doesn't make a move to get to the door. Another knock sounds through the door, this time louder and more desperate. She silently groans, "C—Coming!" She doesn't mean to stutter, but it just happens and it's not her fault. She slips on her black ballet flats (she used to attend dance school when she was younger; although it obviously didn't help at all) and takes a deep breath, walking to the door.

She pulls it open quickly, as if to get it over with as soon as possible. She almost gasps at the sight in front of her, "Austin?" Her eyes are as wide as plates as she stares at him. Austin. He was soaked to the skin from the rain, droplets falling from his hair slowly even though he was wearing his dark blue hoodie which was covering his head. His jeans looked worn out and his smile—well; his smile just wasn't there at all. His eyes looked sad and regretful, as if he had just done something he knew he shouldn't have. It broke her heart in two to see him this way.

"Austin, wha—what are you doing here?" She tries not to sound so surprised, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't seen him for the past 4 years, for what reason; she didn't know at all. Maybe it was because he had devoted all of his attention and love to his girlfriend, Cassidy. And maybe also because he had moved to NYC. And there were rumors going around every where about the 'fact' that Austin had proposed to Cassidy, or was going to propose... But either way, it made her feel that he really did love Cassidy, and that shattered her insides.

All those years of seeing green were suddenly flooding back to her, and she didn't like it.

Her thought train is cut off by Austin rushing inside her house and shutting the door closed hard behind him. He was breathing heavily, as if he'd been running around like a crazy man—maybe he was. She bites her lip when she sees that there's a large scar just above his eyebrow, and it was bleeding, "Oh, Austin... What happened to you?" She softly coos, lightly stroking the scar and watching him wince and remove his hands from his pockets to grab hers.

"Ally," he says, with that desperate tone that he only ever uses when he needs something, "I made a horrible mistake."

She furrows her brow in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I..." he can't finish because tears blur his vision and his voice is cut short.

"Austin..." Ally wipes his tears away slowly, almost crying herself, "Just tell me what's wrong."

He nods. "It's Cassidy." He gulps, and she feels herself falter just a little.
"What—What happened to Cassidy?..." her voice cracked toward the last syllable, and she gulped, hoping her own sadness wouldn't show.

"Nothing. Cassidy's awesome. But not awesome enough for me." He shakes his head vigorously and she's even more confused now.

"What are you talking about—?"

"I asked Cassidy to marry me."

So the rumor is true then. Her heart split in two, but she smiled nevertheless.

"Oh, well, erm, congratula—"

"No. No. No, no, no. I know you're not happy for me, Ally and that's why I'm here. Asking Cassidy to marry me was the stupidest thing I've ever done."

She can't stop her heart rate speeding up. "Huh?" She said stupidly.

He sighs, exasperated that she's not getting it. He looks deep into her eyes.

"I love you."

It takes her 30 seconds to process what he had just said, and yet she still can't breathe. She looks into his honey-glazed hazel eyes, and almost believes him. Almost.

"No. No you don't." She shakes her head and takes a large step away from him.

"Yes. Yes I do." He steps closer to her and licks his lips.

"No. You don't."

"Yes. I do." He says it so softly even though she's almost yelling at him.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No, Austin! You fucking don't!"

"But I do." He's inches from her lips, and his eyes were piercing into her own like needles, but without all the pain. He looked so serious, so honest, so genuine, so why didn't she believe him?

She gulps loudly, shaking her head as if to stop herself from believing him, "Austin, no. You don't. You just think you do but you don't. I'm—"

"You're what? You're not going to believe me?" He doesn't sound a single bit angry, but she's still scared, "Well then just tell me; what do I have to do?" he whispers it slowly, bringing up a hand to brush her cheek softly.

She doesn't know what to say. For the first time in those four years of misery, she's speechless.

But it doesn't matter because she doesn't need to say anything, because soon enough his lips are pressed against hers. She's taken off guard, of course. But she kisses back. His arms wrap around her small waist tightly, and he's surprisingly guilt-free as he pulls her in closer. She moans and lets her fingers tangle about with his blonde hair. Thoughts are swimming throughout her head, yelling at her that what she's doing is terrifyingly wrong; that she should stop right that instant and push him away and kick him out of the house. But she doesn't. She can't.

All of a sudden she's backed up against the wall and he's kissing her hard with everything he's got. She doesn't know what to do or what to think when she feels his right hand reach up underneath her tank top and starts to draw light circles on her bare waist. She doesn't know why; but for some reason it made her feel good... as if he actually did like her—

Realization suddenly struck and she pulled away with force, looking straight into his beautiful eyes and staring at him as if he had just killed a stray cat.

"Oh, so that's it, huh? You came all the way here just so you can lead me on and make me fall in love with you. I can't believe you, Austin." She sounds on the verge of tears and he quickly shakes his head.

"'Course not. I'd never do that." He's surprisingly calm, "And why would I try to make you fall in love with me? You are already are."

She gasps, "How dare you—mmph!"

She can't finish her sentence because his lips are smashed on hers' again. And this time; it feels a million times better.

She tries to pull away, but it's no use. He's much too strong.

"But it's OK. 'Cause I love you, too." He says breathlessly, before going back to kissing her again.

She scoffs and pulls away again, "Then why the fuck did you go out with Cassidy all these years and freakin' propose if you 'love me'?" She spits angrily. She isn't normally one to swear, but when she's mad, it just tumbles right out of her big mouth.

He grabs her hands and squeezes them gently, "Because I was young and clueless. I... I do love Cass. I do. But not the same as I love you. I love her as a really amazing friend. Nothing more. And now I understand exactly why I felt so empty when I asked Cassidy to marry me... When she kissed me, I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. When she hugged me, extra tightly might I add, I felt as if... as if something was missing. And now I know what that is." He steps even closer to her small shaking figure. "When I kiss you, I feel like I can do absolutely anything."

To her dismay, she feels herself deeply blushing. And that's an understatement.

"But..." she protests, before gulping, "A-Are you sure...?" she felt really stupid as she stuttered that. He had just given her that huge adorable speech and she goes and acts like a complete bozo.

But he just smiles at her and nods, "I've never been more sure about anything in my whole life."

She swallows her fear, "But... What about Cassidy? What about your wedding? What about your parents? What will they think? What about—"

"Ally." He chuckles, cutting her rambles short, "I don't care about all that right now," he looks straight into her dark brown eyes, and noted how they sparkled like sunshine, "All I care about is right here, and right now." He lifts up her chin with his finger, and gently presses his lips to hers.

She doesn't know what to think, what to do. Her heart swelled with happiness—she had been waiting to hear the words he had spoken ever since they had first set eyes on each other—but at the same time she didn't know whether to believe him or not.

"Austin..." she whispered, stepping back and looking down, "I don't... I don't know. You–You always used to make it look like you were crazy in love with Cassidy. And it always looked like you guys were going to be together forever and ever and ever and you two were, I don't know, er, soul mates? And I never questioned your relationship because I didn't want to interfere." Ally quickly realized that there wasn't even a point to what she was going on about, and yet she still carried on; "You see... Cassidy is... Hmmm... Well, she's basically perfect."

Austin scoffed, "First of all, I never really loved Cassidy. I just thought I did. And she is not perfect. Not even close. Second, you really should have interfered, Ally, it might have actually helped me realize that you're the girl of my dreams. And third, Cassidy doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is me and you."

"But what will you tell Cassidy?" The more she thought about it, the more she got scared and uncomfortable.

This was all too much for her. She didn't know what was happening. She thought it must all be just a big, magical, weird, un-realistic, impossible dream. And the more she thought about it, the urge to pinch herself became stronger.

Austin shrugged, keeping his arms around her waist, "I don't care." his hands lowered to her hips, and she shivered at the feeling.

"What's happening here?" she blurted out, instantly feeling stupid.

He licks his lips, and she gulps, "This is everything I've always wanted," he whispers, resting his forehead against hers, "And even though I didn't realize this before, you're everything I've always wanted. And now I know what I want, and I don't just want it, I need it," he breathes shakily and shuts his eyes for a brief moment. Her heart is racing and she just can't believe anything that he's saying, "I need you."

She wants to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a huge smack on the lips, she wants to burst into tears of joy and tell him that she needs him too and that she was stupid for not believing him earlier, she wants to live happily ever after and she wants to have that beautiful fairy-tale ending that she's always dreamt of, she wants to forgive for not getting his head straight quicker — but she's much too smart for that.

"Austin, this is hurting me, you know? I... I didn't just give you time, I gave you a lifetime. I gave you so much time to realise that... that what I felt, what we felt wasn't just pretend. I gave you time to notice my feelings, and maybe your own feelings too. I gave you time to notice me. The girl always stood in the background, cheering you on and backing your decisions. But eventually, I gave up. I gave up because I thought, hey, maybe he just doesn't love me, or even like me in that way. Maybe I'm just imagining it. Maybe I should just leave him be and let him follow his heart. I should just give up being jealous, and just not get my hopes up. So I supported your relationship with Cassidy—and look where that got us, Austin; just look. I'm a mess, you're a mess, and if you tell Cassidy what you told me, she'll be an even bigger mess, Austin. I can't do this any more."

She's in tears by the end of her little (long and boring) speech, and even he looks like he wants to burst out crying.

"Ally..." he couldn't even speak straight, but he just managed to choke out, "I love you."

She nods and wipes her damp cheeks, "Me too, Austin. Me, too."

She opens the door for him, and he blinks at her disbelievingly before glumly going back out into the pouring rain. She gave him one last look, before shutting the door firmly behind him, and she felt as if that was the last time she'd ever see him.

"I just wish you'd realized it before."

She doesn't hear from him much after their little encounter that night. And even though a part of her is glad, the other part is hurting immensely. It had been just over a month and she wasn't ashamed to say she missed him. Even though her brain constantly reminded her that if she could spend 4 fucking years away from him without even thinking of his name, then she could spend another day.

And she was fine up until Sunday morning, at precisely at 9:30 am, when the postman arrived (ironically, his name was Pat), dropping off an invitation. And not just any invitation, a wedding invitation. Inviting her to Austin & Cassidy's wedding.

She let out a shaky breath, gulping and opening the glittery envelope. There were sequins everywhere, and Austin wasn't a big fan of those, so she knew straight away that Cassidy had planned the entire wedding—including the guest list. Inside, was a flattened rose that smelled beautiful, and of course the actual invitation. She gulped as she read the location—which was written in fancy-schmancy calligraphy—and the signatures of both Austin and Cassidy beneath everything. There was a cute little smiley face by Austin's signature, and Ally had the sneaking suspicion that Austin did that only for her.

Suddenly, she was on the ground, crying her heart out and letting the regret finally sink in within her. I should have just told him what he meant to me that night, she thought, inwardly scolding herself for not doing so, I shouldn't have let him leave just like that.

She honestly hated herself as she let the tears flow freely down her cheeks. She'd done a lot of crying lately.

Straight away, she decided she wasn't going to Austin's wedding on Friday. No, she wasn't going to watching them exchanging 'I do' and kissing and smiling and laughing and making speeches and she certainly wasn't going to let herself suffer more than she already was.

Maybe this is a sign, she thought, A sign that I should start a new life from now, a sign that I should stop looking back on the past and just look forward.

But, nevertheless, she still buried the invitation within her Songbook, and next to that note that she had kept all these years.

It seemed that the world hated her because all that was being decided to put on TV were either rom-coms or soap-opera's, and right then, there wasn't any romance or comedy going on in her life, and she certainly was not in the mood for drama.

She sighed and grimaced, switching the TV off completely.

It was Thursday, the day before that stupid wedding, and Ally had actually put a countdown for it on her phone; she'd simply called it my eternal doom with a crying emoji next to it.

She sighed, throwing her head back and looking up at the ceiling, asking herself one question and one question only—

When did my life get so messed up?

It was the day of his wedding, and she didn't know whether or not to go and be happy for him, or to just stay home and yearn over him.

Believe it or not, it's a tough decision.

She finds herself dialing Trish's number, and shakily raising the phone up to her ear.

1 ring.

2 rings.

3 rings.

4 rings.

Just when she was about to give up, a voice sounded through from the other end, "Hello?"

"Trish. It's me. Ally."

"Ally! Ohmygosh, we haven't spoken, in, like, 2 days!" she squealed loudly.

Ally smiled and laughed. Trish had been the only one who had kept in touch with her after Austin and Cassidy became an item and suddenly stopped talking to them. And Ally really appreciated the fact that Trish never forgot about her for at least a second.

"Hey, Trish." she says, her voice completely lacking enthusiasm all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, nothings really wrong... But... In all honesty, only I feel like what's happening is wrong, and if I tell you exactly what I think is absolutely wrong here, you'll think I'm a selfish bitch that doesn't care about anyone but herself."

She could almost hear Trish roll her eyes. "All I asked was 'what's wrong?'. But seriously, Ally, what is wrong?"

She didn't think twice before suddenly blurting out what had been bothering her all of that time, both day and night, "Austin is getting married. To Cassidy."

There was an uncomfortable silence from across the other end, and it honestly scared the shit out of Ally when a scream suddenly broke out, "That jerk!"

She winced, moving the phone away from her for 2 seconds before re-applying it to her ear, "No, Trish. I'm the jerk here. He... He came to my house one night, not long ago, really. And he said, well, he told me that he loved me. And that going out with Cassidy was just a big mistake on his part and he also said that he somehow 'knows' that I love him too, and, well, I kinda do..." she bit her lip and sighed, really not understanding why her life was so incredibly abnormal and horrible.

There was another lull of silence, before Trish spoke again, "I don't get it, though. If he confessed his love for you and vice-versa, why is he still marrying that bitch, Cassidy?"

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head even though no one could see her, "First of all, Cassidy is not a bitch, she's actually pretty nice and I don't hate her. Second of all, I did not confess my 'love' for him. And third, it's because I acted like the idiot that I am and told him that it was too late and I sorta implied that there was absolutely no way we could ever be together because he's with Cassidy. And he shouldn't just go ahead and break her heart, I mean, seriously, he just proposed. There's no going back now." Another unmistakably depressed sigh escaped her mouth.

Suddenly, she heard Trish give a sharp gasp, "Oh... Now I know what that mailman sent." she said dumbly.

Ally seemed perplexed, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, uh, a few days ago, Pat the postman dropped off some dumb old invitation and I thought it wasn't important so I... I kinda threw it out..." there was a serious tone to her voice, but anyone would be able to tell that she was smiling that sheepish smile.

Ally rolled her eyes, "Oh, Trish."

Trish groaned, "Back to you, Ally; how can you think the way you think? Austin said he loves you. And you love him, too, so why don't you just—"

"No, Trish. So, yea, maybe I do love him back, but it doesn't matter now. Because he's marrying somebody else. And there's nothing, nothing, I can do about it. It's much too late to change anything."

Trish groaned again, this time louder and more annoyed. "Well, are you at least going to the wedding?"

Ally bit her lip, "Why should I?"

She heard Trish sigh deeply, "Just go. Please. I'll go, too, to support you. You won't be alone, trust me. Don't give him the satisfaction of not arriving unannounced wearing a gorgeous dress with awesomely flawless makeup done by your awesomely flawless best friend." Ally breathed a laugh as Trish continued, "You're going to go to that dumb wedding looking beautiful, and you're going to leave him so unbelievably breathless that he can't even think any more. Got it?"

Ally giggled, "OK, OK... I'll go..."

"Oh, my God, yay!" Trish squealed, and then suddenly spoke seriously, "Alright, when's the wedding?"

Ally carelessly sighed, "In 2 hours."

"2 hours? Uh oh. OK, stay at home, alright? I'm coming. Don't move! I'll see you in 10." she said hurriedly before hanging up.

Ally set her phone down, sighing and running a single hand through her hair.

She really wished she could go back in time and fix everything.

She really, really did.

"Trish, this is absolutely ridiculous! I look like I'm about to walk down the aisle—"

"That's exactly what you're supposed to look like, silly!"

"No, Trish! That's what Cassidy's supposed to look like. I'm just another guest—I'm not here to steal attention away from the bride herself!"

"Well, that's just too bad because we're here. Now get out of the car, get in there, and make Austin suffer."

"No. Because he didn't do anything. The only reason I'm coming here is because... well, I don't know exactly."

"You're here because you want Austin back. And—"

"Why would I want him back if I never had him in the first place?"

They were right outside the church, all ready and prepared to go inside and witness the entire thing.

Ally was wearing a white dress (that's right, white) that reached mid-thigh. She had argued countless times that it made her look slightly slutty, if not a lot, but Trish wouldn't have any of it. Her hair was done up in a pretty, neat bun, with a few stray strands of hair loose and framing her round face. Again, she told Trish that maybe she should just her let her down, because it doesn't matter, but her protests were ignored. Her shoes weren't that high, but still, they were way too pretty and posh for her to be wearing them.

"Yes you did. Austin's always been yours. And you've always been his. But then Cassidy came along and took him away." Trish said as they walked through the entrance of the church.

Ally didn't answer.

Austin notices Ally sat down in the 4th seat, 3 rows down whilst he's having a brief conversation with Dez (who is his best man), just as he's about to say his vows. She saw him, too. But unlike him, her eyes didn't bulge out of their sockets, unlike him, she wasn't surprised.

And unlike him, the hurt wasn't showing through her eyes—she smiled, no, grinned, and offered a thumbs up sign as if to say congrats.

Sometimes, she didn't even understand herself.

She's very guilty now and she knows she should not say it but Ally feels ridiculously bored throughout the entire speech that the Priest is making, and she's 90% sure that the boredom is evident on her face. She knows that poor Trish is bored out of her mind, too. But nevertheless, she fights the strong urge to yawn loudly and just focuses on the wedding.

It hurts her a lot for some reason when Cassidy says I do and she suddenly feels like running outside and throwing up. But she stays seated.

And then the moment she's been dreading all that time... finally comes.

She immediately felt worry rush through her. She knew why. It was because she once had a chance, one chance to tell him, and she threw that one chance back in the trash.

"I..."

She's literally on the very edge of her seat right now and she can't really help it either. She's chanting over and over and over again in her head—don't say I do, don't say I do, don't say I do — because she wouldn't really know how to live with herself if he said it. She'd probably blame herself for it because technically, she's the one who pushed him away. She's the one who said they couldn't.

"Erm..." he's still stuttering, and she's still worrying.

Cassidy looks expectant, her eyebrow raised, her mouth open slightly, her eyes wide.

"Er..."

Suddenly, he sighs loudly, and it looks as if he's going to say something.

"I—"

No.

She stands up swiftly, and at that precise moment, he glances at her. She shakes her head vigorously, telling him with her eyes (and frantic gestures, of course) that he couldn't say yes, he shouldn't say yes, he simply can't say yes.

He seems to understand. Because—

"No."

Trish pursed her lips, looking as if she was trying to stop herself from smiling. Dez just licked his lips and raised an eyebrow, looking amused. And everyone else? They all looked confused,slightly entertained, bemused. Austin's parents looked slightly... relieved? And Cassidy's oh-so-posh folks looked absolutely livid.

Ally gasped despite herself.

"I can't do this. I can't marry you, Cassidy. I just can't. I'm sorry."

And then he's suddenly gone, out of the church, out into the open.

And Cassidy is left absolutely stricken.

Ally manages to escape. And she made her way out to find Austin.

He's not out near the Church's Gardens. So she decides to go to their special place, aside from the Practice Room, of course—the mall pond.

Just as she'd suspected — there he is, sat down on the bench, still wearing his black and white tux, still looking gorgeous, and still remaining thoughtful. The sun is reflecting his beautiful velvet blond hair, and he looks like an angel, she thinks, whilst he's sat there.

"Hey," her voice is so so quiet that she can't even hear herself and she's so surprised that he actually heard her perfectly.

His head snaps up, and he smiles slightly when he sees it's her, "Hey, you," he smiles softly at her, and her heart melts at the sight, "What's up?" he sounds okay, but she can see that his eyes are glistening. She sighs and sits down beside him.

"I'm sorry. For absolutely everything. From when we first met till now, I'm sorry for everything I did, for everything that upset you even in the slightest. I'm sorry," she doesn't know where all this is coming from, but she continues on from there, because she knows that he needs to hear this, he needs to hear her, "I'm sorry for... for never really realizing how much you were there for me. Whenever I was upset or heartbroken or mad or angry, you were always there. Always. There was never a moment when you weren't around to make me feel loved and wanted and just happy, and I think that's what made me fall in love with you."

He looks like he's about to say something, but she's not done, she still needs to empty her thoughts.

"Before we knew each other, when we were, you know, 15, I think, I wished every single day when I woke up and every single night before I went to bed that I would find some guy who's... sensitive, but at the same time, totally out of control—if you know what I mean," she pauses, chuckling through her tears, and he does the same, "I always hoped that I'd be with someone who isn't that similar to me, who has different qualities, but at the same time, someone who isn't my exact opposite, and has some similarities, too."

She doesn't want to cry, but a few tears slip and she can't prevent them from racing down her cheeks. "At 11:11, I'd wish to find a boy who would put me before everything, even himself. A boy who would fight for me, even if it meant losing something he's worked so hard for. I just... I always thought that no matter how unlikely it might be for me to actually find a guy like that, it's still worth wishing for. I wished upon every single star in the sky, because I thought that maybe, just maybe, that one guy is out there. And I might find him one day. Or he might find me... Either way, I just wanted us to find each other."

She knows that she's talking nonsense now, but he's giving her that look and she finds herself unable to look away from his intense eyes as she speaks once more.

"I've always wanted... someone who understands me and loves me for who I am..." she looks at him through her wet lashes, "And that's you."

For a moment they're both just sitting there and staring into each others eyes. His eyes are all glazed over with water, and she can see that. Instinctively, she reaches over and wipes away the tears before they can fall. A smile lights up her features and suddenly it seems like everything is all okay.

"I love you, Austin. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry for everything—"

He stops her from continuing by sealing their lips together in a soft, fervid kiss. Her response is immediate, and she's kissing him back and he's kissing her back and it's all so perfect. And she can't think of a better scenario of how they could have gotten together. Because this? This is amazing.

And she honestly feels like Cinderella (or Belle or Snow White or Aurora or any Princess at all) when he pulls away slowly and looks her deeply in the eyes and—"You're honestly the best thing that's ever happened to me. And if it wasn't fate that brought us together that day, then I don't know what it was."

And that's when her entire world finally became complete.

thank you all very much for reading this and thanks in advance to anyone who reviews.

and happy new year!